Thesis and Dissertation Defenses
Defense Request for Master’s and Doctorate Degrees
Requirements for Scheduling a Defense:
- Enrollment in the Dissertation (Master’s) / Thesis (Doctorate) activity;
- Printed article (Master’s);
- Proof of article submission (Doctorate);
- Fully completed Defense Request Form;
- Confirmation of participation from each committee member.
Article 54: For the defense of a dissertation or thesis, the formation of a Defense Committee (Dissertation or Thesis Defense Committee) is mandatory, consisting of the following members: Examining Committee, Internal Substitute, External Substitute, Advisor, and, in some cases, Co-advisor.
- Master’s Degree: The Examining Committee must consist of at least three regular members, including the Advisor, who will serve as the chair. At least one of the regular members must be external to UFC.
- Doctorate Degree: The Examining Committee must consist of at least five regular members, including the Advisor, who will serve as the chair. At least two of the regular members must be external to UFC.
- Co-advisor Participation: If a Co-advisor is involved, they may be invited to join the Examining Committee. In this case, the Committee must have at least four members for Master’s defenses and six for Doctorate defenses.
- No Co-authorship: At least one committee member must not have co-authored scientific articles with the student, Advisor, or Co-advisor.
- Substitutes: In addition to the regular committee members, at least two substitute members must be included. One of these substitutes must be external to UFC and must not have any employment ties with the institution.
- Academic Qualification: All committee members, both regular and substitute, must hold a Doctorate degree and be either professors or researchers.
Important Notes:
- Defense request forms must be submitted at least 15 days in advance if there is no need for travel arrangements for professors from other states. If travel arrangements are required, the deadline is 25 days, and flight details (airline, flight code, date, and departure/return times) must be provided.
- Printed email confirmation or a signed declaration confirming the participation of committee members will be accepted.
- The completed Defense Request Form (Word format) must be sent to bioqufc@ufc.br.
Qualification Exam
The Qualification Exam is a mandatory requirement for obtaining a Master’s or Doctorate degree and must be completed by the end of the third semester of the program.
The exam consists of two stages:
- Written Paper
- Oral Presentation, followed by questioning.
The Qualification Exam is based on the dissertation or thesis project, which must be structured as a research proposal suitable for submission to a funding agency, following the format established by the program’s regulations.
The Qualification Exam Committee will be composed of three doctoral-level members, appointed by the PPG-Biochemistry/UFC Coordination. At least one of these members must be a faculty member from PPG-Biochemistry/UFC, who will serve as the chair of the Examining Committee.
Important Notes:
- Forms must be submitted at least 15 days in advance if no travel arrangements for professors from other states are needed. If travel is required, the deadline is 25 days, and flight details must be provided.
- Printed email confirmation or a signed declaration confirming the participation of committee members will be accepted.
- The completed Defense Request Form (Word format) must be sent to bioqufc@ufc.br.
